I-10 wreck shuts both lanes at MLK

Updated 9:47 am, Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler when it collided with a passenger car, he said. The collision cause a fuel spill from the truck and knocked over a light pole onto the eastbound lane, causing another accident and tying up traffic in both directions for several hours, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert. There were no injuries. Dan Wallach/The Enterprise less

Sheri Davis and Ricky Spellman survey the damage of a wreck they were in on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway at 5:30 a.m. today. Spellman was driving the 18-wheeler ... more

Photo: The Enterprise

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I-10 wreck shuts both lanes at MLK

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Truck driver Ricky Spellman was about to change lanes in his 18-wheeler on Interstate 10 heading westbound around 5:30 a.m. when all of a sudden he felt the unmistakable crunch of a collision with a small white passenger car.

The force of the collision also knocked down a median light pole, toppling it into the eastbound lanes of the interstate and causing a car to collide with it, said Beaumont Fire Department District Chief Brian Hebert.

There were no injuries, Hebert said.

Afterward, as wreckers sorted out the mess and while police diverted traffic around the wreck site, Spellman and his passenger, Sheri Davis, who was in the truck's sleeper, leaned against the concrete barrier.

"This is my first accident since I started driving in 1980," said Spellman, who is from Tennessee.

He was carrying a load of Avon products and had earlier delivered one shipment and had two more in his trailer.

Recovery workers spread absorbent onto the spilled fuel. By 9 a.m., eastbound traffic had resumed, but the morning commute for most Beaumont residents was a tangle with traffic backed up the Eastex Freeway to at least Lucas Drive.